Our View | Faster Connections and a Safe and Happy Fourth

If you’re reading this online, sometime soon you might be able to read it faster.

That is, this and anything else you access on the internet will load more quickly, photos will load more quickly, and video will stream more smoothly. (Buffering? Forget about it.)

And it’ll be cheaper, too.

That’s thanks to a new $217,000 contract the Santa Clarita City Council awarded this week to Crown Castle Fiber LLC to bring “big-city internet” to Santa Clarita.

It’s a move that was immediately applauded by the local business community, and will assuredly be applauded by residential internet users as well.

In other words, just about everyone in Santa Clarita.

If you live and work in Santa Clarita, there’s a good chance you don’t know what you’re really missing. Internet service in the hubs of major metro areas — like Los Angeles — is often superior to what is available out here in the suburbs.

In Downtown L.A., for example, there are hundreds of internet service providers and users have easier direct access to high-speed connections.

Under the new city contract, at least two new dark fiber strands will connect Santa Clarita directly to the hubs in Downtown L.A.

Benny Ives, a city technology services manager, told the council:

“This would establish a physical connection to downtown Los Angeles, where the city would have a presence in downtown that has hundreds of internet providers. We’d be able to get internet at a fraction of the cost.”

He added: “We’ve heard from many for a number of years that there’s really only two primary ISPs (internet service providers), like Spectrum and AT&T. But many businesses are confined to only one option and some may have the option to choose but others only have that single option. For that reason, the cost and value proposition is not advantageous.”

Thanks to the new city contract, those options will expand, service will improve and costs will come down.

And that’s a win-win-win for the city, local businesses and residents, too.

‘L.A. County Connect’ Brings County Government Closer to SCV Business

Thanks are also in order for L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who has brought forth a significant new county initiative to bring county government closer to its business constituents in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The county is collaborating with the SCV Economic Development Corp. to allow businesses, developers and permit applicants to meet regularly with representatives of key county departments — like Regional Planning, Public Works and the Fire Department — to help them more easily navigate the process of obtaining permits, resolving issues and getting questions answered directly from county officials, without having to trek to Downtown Los Angeles. The first meeting was held this week at the Stevenson Ranch Library.

Back in the “old days,” when Santa Clarita was being formed as a city, one of the main driving points behind that effort was to bring local government closer to home. The city of Santa Clarita has done an excellent job of that, and these days, so too is the county.

Initiatives like L.A. County Connect are exactly what’s needed to bring the county government closer to its constituents, improving accessibility and fostering a spirit of cooperation.

Kudos to Barger and the county for making it happen.

Enjoy a Safe and Sane Fourth,
and We’ll See You at the Parade!

Much has been written in The Signal this past week about the local emphasis on safe ways to celebrate the Fourth of July, and we hope everyone in our community heeds the advice of local leaders, law enforcement and Fire Department officials. Plus, there are so many great options to celebrate safely and hassle-free.

May we suggest you start your day with the Fourth of July Parade in Old Town Newhall. It’s a long-standing local tradition, and we are honored this year that the parade organizers are celebrating the 100th anniversary of The Signal.

And, after the parade, we hope you’ll all join us in finishing the celebration with the city’s Fourth of July fireworks celebration over the Westfield Valencia Town Center. It’s always the perfect cap on a star-spangled Independence Day celebration, which has been a hallmark of this community for the past century.